In the dark and somewhat foreboding depths of the Golden Oak Library's basement, Twilight Sparkle was hard at work, going over a few separate pages of notes and equations. The only sounds, aside from her own breathing, was that of the slight flicker of the nearby candle-light, and the tick-tock of the clock on the wall. Every once in a while, she would glance upwards to the latter, staring at it before letting out a sigh, after which she simply got back to her work. Less than a day now. Not long now before that stone prison breaks. Raising a hoof, she gently rubbed her temples, trying to alleviate the stress. How long have I been up? I can't even remember when I started preparing all this stuff. So I guess it's too long, at least that's what Spike would say. Reaching forward, she grabbed onto a small glass of water, lifting to her mouth and taking a single sip before placing it down again. Gotta keep this up. My work isn't finished yet. I can't leave any avenue open for him. He may be chaos, but that's no excuse for me to just give up on trying to get ready for him.

Turning, Twilight narrowed her eyes as she looked towards the corner of the room. There, in a simple glass container, were the fabled Elements of harmony. Getting up and out of her seat, she walked over to them, placing a hoof upon the glass as she stared at the artefacts within. Equestria managed to get by for a thousand years without ever needing these things. And yet, all of a sudden, all these messes keep coming up that require their use. I'd call it fate...if it wasn't for the fact that I know history can be re-written. A frown formed on her face. Okay, Twilight, think! Remember all the things you need for tomorrow. Turning, she began to mumble to herself as she walked back over to her desk.

"Protective wards? Check. Enchantments on myself and the Elements? Check. The spells Celestia will need to use on Canterlot? I haven't asked her if she's done it yet...but I'm hoping check. I guess..."

Her expression softened as she turned to look upon the Elements once more.

"...the only thing I need to do now is give it to them."

However, no sooner had she spoken those words that Twilight began to hear a familiar voice.

"Um...Miss Sparkle?"

Turning, Twilight looked up the stairs and smiled as she saw who had just entered the basement. A blue unicorn mare, looking down at her with some uncertainty in her face. Twilight raised a hoof and gestured to her to come down. The other mare nodded and began walking down, wherein Twilight finally noticed that she was using her magic to levitate a tea tray, complete with an already-filled cup. As the mare reached the bottom of the stairs, she levitated the tray and its contents onto Twilight's desk.

"You've been down here for a while. Trixie figured you needed a break."

Twilight's smile widened at that.

"Thank you, Trixie. I appreciate that."

The blue mare nodded and began to walk around, perhaps ready to leave. However, before she did so, she soon noticed all of the paperwork on Twilight's desk, raising an eyebrow as she began to look at it.

"Working on some new kind of magic?"

Twilight shook her head as she stood alongside her student.

"Not exactly. They're old spells. Theories on stronger shields and such. Nopony has seen this kind of thing in a long time. Even with my magic, some of these enchantments are pretty hard to pull off."

Trixie turned to her, looking more than a little curious.

"Trixie is no expert, but these look like some pretty powerful spells. What are you going to use them for?"

Twilight turned to the papers, her expression somewhat steely.

"Just...being prepared."

There was no explanation after that, but the message was clear; Twilight was planning something, and it was going to be big. Clearing her throat, Trixie began to turn around, but was stopped from doing so when Twilight placed a hoof upon her shoulder, there was a silence between the two until Twilight finally broke it, her expression softer than it had been before.

"Trixie...tell me...are you happy here?"

Trixie raised yet another eyebrow after hearing that.

"Why do you ask?"

Twilight sighed.

"It's just...I want to know if you enjoy all these lessons I've been giving you, and all these chances to make friends and...all of it, really."

For a while, Trixie looked taken aback at being asked a question like that. But, for a moment, she stopped, and appeared deep in thought over the matter. Twilight watched her carefully, not speaking up, but showing a definite interest in what her protégé would say next. In time, the blue unicorn looked at her teacher in a rather sheepish manner before speaking.

"Well...it's been a little strange. Trixie spent so much time on the roads, she never really made any friends before. Whenever she was around lots of other ponies, it was usually at her shows. But since moving here...that's been changing. Ponies have been getting to know Trixie, even liking her. And it's not just because Trixie can make a few fireworks appear, they just...like her."

Twilight smiled at that.

"And...you're happy about that...right?"

Trixie took a while, but eventually, she broke out into a small smile of her own.

"Trixie...I...I am happy, yes. It hasn't always been the easiest thing, but...I'm happy to be here, Twilight."

The mares smiled at each other, with Twilight gently placing a hoof upon her shoulder. I took Trixie as my student, but with all these preparation and other business, I guess I've been somewhat negligent of her. I feared she might not be acclimating well to this new life. Seems I was wrong about that, fortunately. Seeing the look of appreciation Trixie was giving her, Twilight nodded to her, giving her a silent permission to leave at long last. As she watched the blue mare walk away, she was deep in thought over it. There are times when I wonder if my changing history has yielded anything good. But today...I think I can safely say that it has. It may just be one mare learning to make friends...but if there's one thing I've learned myself over the years...that's a reward you just can't undervalue. Sighing in a contended manner, Twilight turned, ready to return to her desk again. However, she was prevented from doing so by a sudden ruckus from upstairs. Spinning around, she watched as Spike had entered the room, apparently having bumped into Trixie. After giving her a silent look of apology and Trixie accepting it, Spike stood aside to let her pass. With Trixie gone, the young dragon looked down the stairs to his adopted Mother, calling out to her.

"Hey, Mom? Applejack and the others are here. Said you called them over?"

Twilight gained a somewhat serous look after hearing that, before nodding back to her son. Spike nodded in return before making his own way out of the basement. Well...guess this is it, Twilight thought. She looked up, seeing the head of her friends poke in through the door, looking down to her. She smiled to them, a silent invitation to come down, to which they promptly began to enter in earnest. They walked down the steps carefully, glancing around with a great deal of curiosity. As expected, Fluttershy was the last in the line, looking more than a little nervous at all the strange and mysterious things down here. Then again, these things are from the Everfree castle after all. It makes sense she'd be worried about them, given her last experiences in that place. Eventually, the five mares made it down, still looking around with interest. Rainbow would occasionally glance at a nearby chalkboard, only to turn away when she looked at the complicated equations upon it. As for the rest, they looked to Twilight with some concern on their faces, until finally, Applejack stepped forward and spoke.

"Y'all wanted ta speak ta us, Twi?"

Twilight nodded. She turned from them and headed back to the container of the Elements, opening it with her magic.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. The battle against Nightmare Moon was not the only time in history that the Elements have been needed. There may come a time when we will need to use their power again. And when that day comes..."

Using her magic, Twilight began to levitate the Elements out of their container, causing them to hover to their respective bearer.

"...it wouldn't do for them to be separate from their bearers."

Rarity looked at her Element and raised an eyebrow at Twilight's words.

"You...you want us to keep them with us?"

Twilight nodded.

"I do. We live in completely separate parts of town, so having them with you would make things easier than having you live away from them."

Before anypony could react to that, Rainbow swooped in, taking her own Element and fastening it to her neck.

"No problems here! This thing is awesome! Count me in!"

Twilight giggled at that, but her smile faded a little as she watched her friends, each of whom seemed more concerned than Rainbow about their friend's request. Even so, one by one, they each took their own Element and placed it carefully around their own necks, a slight shimmer occurring within the jewels as they did so. Tonight is the night that they would have gone to the Grand Galloping Gala. Instead, they'll be preparing for something far more important. A slight pang of guilt gripped Twilight's heart as she considered that. That rejection letter I wrote to Celestia about the tickets...that was far too harsh. I know I was still gripped by those unhappy feelings from my future, but even so, it was just uncalled for. I must remember to apologise to her about that at some point. Glancing at her friends, Twilight saw that they looked to each other, still looking unsure about all this, before looking to her again, Applejack speaking up.

"Is...is something wrong, Twi?"

Twilight looked at her, mulling over her potential responses for a while, before finally sighing and speaking up.

"Better safe than sorry."

None of them asked her what that meant, and given the look of determination she now bore upon her face, none of them actually seemed to want to. However, as Twilight's expression softened, she placed a hoof upon Applejack's shoulder, smiling to her in such a way that gave a very clear message; everything will be fine. There was something about the way those unspoken words came across that seemed to do the job, putting the other mares at ease, and causing them to be smiling back to her. They trust me. On a day like today...that's all I need to see. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped when Trixie called in from upstairs, asking if anypony wanted any of the cookies she'd been baking. As one might expect, Pinkie was the first to volunteer, zipping up before anypony else could react. One by one, the rest giggled at this before making their way up to follow her. Applejack was the last, giving Twilight a single glance, showing her concern, before turning back and making her way back up the stairs. Now, Twilight was alone once more, looking back at her own Element. Her eyes focused on the jewel in the crown, darker than it was supposed to be, and glared slightly. I still don't know what that means...but tomorrow is when he breaks free, so I guess we'll find out. Thinking on that, she let out a single sigh.

So then...let's see how the day of chaos plays out.

Author's Notes:

And so, at last, I reach the end of what would have been the first season of the show. I want to take this moment to say thank you to all the people who've been keeping up with this story thus far. I appreciate it, and I hope you enjoy all the future chapters that are coming.